At the final conference of project Reforming Policy Coordination and the Centre of Government, held at the National Bank of Serbia, Ambassador Michael Davenport said that the project was part of a larger programme of the EU to help Serbia reform its public administration.
“This programme is not designed only to satisfy EU standards, but to establish a coordinated, well-functioning and efficient administration. It is one of the goals in the process of EU integration that can make a tangible improvement on investment environment, both foreign and domestic, and lives of ordinary people,” Davenport said.
He said that Serbia was on the threshold of a real breakthrough in this area. “Draft legislation package which should introduce a coherent planning system in Serbia is ready for adoption. The Law on Planning, especially, represents a missing link to have an integrative policy planning, prioritisation and budgeting process, i.e. an effective programme budgeting. We look forward to seeing this process being carried through. We hope to see a continuation of the political commitment and the legal package on planning introduced in the system by the end of the year,” Ambassador Davenport said.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self Government Drazen Maravic said that public administration was often guided by the principle of making no mistakes in procedures while rarely making things work, which is why public policy reform should create a framework not to make bad judgements and keep the final goal in mind. According to him, idea about setting up a centre for training of public servants emerged during project implementation because it turned out there were certain shortcomings when it comes to strategic planning and analysis.
Director of Secretariat for Public Policy Jasna Atanasijevic said that this agency was one of the beneficiaries of the EU-funded project.
She stressed that the Law on Planning entered Government procedures, marking the beginning of a public consultation about the act that was supposed to regulate planning, implementation, implementation monitoring, reporting, evaluation of public policy and mid-term planning.
